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UPDATE 10/7/2016: Mayor Lentz and City Manager Holstine spoke during Public Comment at the SF Board of Supervisors' meeting of 10/4. Amendments will be made to their Draft Resolution and discussed at the Land Use and Transportation Committee which is chaired by Supervisor Cohen, with attendance by Supervisors Peskin and Wiener, and meets Mondays at 1:30pm. City staff will be monitoring, corresponding and attending these meetings as needed.

St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) was founded in 1933 in San Mateo County with the initiative of helping the poor. They currently have a campaign called Books 4 Hope, with a goal of bringing in 1 million books by next year. How do they do this? They host citywide drives for people to come and donate their books. For every book SVDP is able to sell, whether online or in their stores, SVDP is able to provide approximately 3 meals to individuals in need.

On the weekend of October 8 & 9, from 9am-4pm each day, representatives from St. Vincent de Paul will be on-site at the Christmas Tree Lot (corner of Old County Rd. & Bayshore Blvd.) for their Brisbane Book Drive.Let’s help them make their goal!If you would like to volunteer on either day of the book drive, or if you have any questions, please contact Kristen Trojel at (408) 420-0307.

The City Council will commence its review of the Baylands project and related EIR on Thursday, September 29, 2016 (Council's 9/16/16 Notice of Public Hearing). The first meeting will be a workshop providing an overview of the Council’s review process, the project components, EIR, and Planning Commission recommendation. Please visit the Baylands Council Proceedings webpage to review their schedule. - See more at: http://brisbaneca.org/baylands-information#sthash.rHGXqSfR.dpuf

A Baylands Hearing page has been created for the public to view both Planning Commission and City Council schedules and correspondence. To go directly to posted written comments received by the City Clerk, a Baylands City Council Correspondence page has also been created. This page will be updated as correspondence is received.

There are a lot of changes this year for the City's Day in the Park Festival, taking place on the LAST SATURDAY IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR. That's right, instead of the traditional 1st Saturday in October (which is the City's 55th Anniversary Celebration), the 30th Annual Day in the Park Festival will be happening on Saturday, September 24th from 8am - 3pm. And there is so much fun to be had between those hours! Because of all the activities and new additions this year, we wanted you to have the day-of schedule well in advance to acquaint yourself with the day's layout and festivities. There will also be hardcopies available the day-of. Note: if you happened to miss the New Brisbane Library Meeting where the current concept designs were shown, don't worry, they will also be on display at the Day in the Park. Click on the brochure cover below to see what else will be filling the Community Park and Old County Rd. that day!

In November 2015 the Brisbane City Council officially accepted the Sustainability Framework for the Baylands (http://brisbaneca.org/baylands-sustainability-framework), a document that was the product of five years of effort by the Baylands Sustainability Committee, multiple drafts and numerous rounds of community review and feedback. We wanted to share with you this article, which was recently featured in Western City, the monthly magazine of the League of California Cities (notably, this article appeared as part of an issue that was centered around the topic of Sustainability). We are excited to see the Framework and its 10 principles being shared with other cities in the state!

This attachment to the Roundtable’s response to the FAA Initiative is to expand on information in the letter to the FAA, detailing specific procedure operations as they fly today and any changes the Roundtable is requesting.

Each of the “Attachments” has the following sections:

Description – details the procedure(s) as they are flown today

Primarily Impacted Cities – notes the cities that are most directly under the flight path(s) of the procedures being described.

Noise Issues – the primary existing noise issues due to the procedure.

Roundtable Requests (Short Term, Long Term) – details what mitigation efforts the Roundtable is requesting the FAA implement either in the short or long term, depending on the detail of the request.

Collaboration – requests the appropriate agencies to work on each mitigation effort. Initial Requested FAA Research – if applicable, requests the FAA research specific operational items related to the mitigation efforts.

Brisbane City Clerk Sheri Spediacci officially announced this week that she will be retiring from the City of Brisbane on September 16, 2016 after serving as Brisbane's City Clerk for nearly 20 years.

Sheri started with the city in 1992, providing administrative assistance to then City Manager Robin Leiter. Her strengths in organization, working with people, and friendly demeanor as she tackled issues and helped residents find solutions to their problems led her to the role of Deputy City Clerk two years later and in 1997, assuming full responsibilities as Brisbane's City Clerk. Since 2010, Sheri also administered Brisbane's affordable housing programs including first-time homebuyer loans, new project development and support to the Redevelopment Successor Agency.

"Sheri has been a constant source of support for me and the City of Brisbane organization and will be sorely missed," remarked City Manager Clay Holstine.

Though officially retiring from the City of Brisbane, Sheri is not, and has never been, one to just sit around. She will be assuming the position of City Clerk for the City of Orinda at the end of this month. The residents and community there will soon find they have found a true gem in Sheri.

The City Council will be recognizing Sheri at their meeting of Thursday, September 15th at 7:00pm and break for a reception shortly thereafter with refreshments. Please join them in recognizing Sheri for her many years of dedicated service to the City of Stars.

Sheri, congratulations on your retirement and we wish you all the best in this new, exciting chapter in your life!

Want to learn how to garden beautifully, yet sustainably? Attend a free lecture about how to design and plan your landscape. In this class you will learn about how to design your landscape and conserve water. The Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) works in partnership with the City of Brisbane to offer these free courses to community members. Visit BAWSCA's website to sign-up for the course offered in Brisbane on Thursday, September 29th from 6-7pm.

Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 13 and lasting approximately one week, The Urban Arborist, a City-hired contractor, will be removing invasive, non-native eucalyptus trees from the newly acquired Brisbane Acres parcel #79, at the top of Paul Ave. Removal of these trees will help to restore and preserve the native Coast Live Oak woodland ecosystem in the Brisbane Acres and reduce fire fuel loads in the hills above Central Brisbane.

During the week, while the tree work is in progress, the trail that begins at the end of Paul Ave. and leads up into the mountain will be closed to pedestrians.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this important restoration project.

You have probably read or heard about Brisbane Village Helping Hands (BVHH) by now. They are a grassroots, all-volunteer organization committed to helping older Brisbane residents age in place. And who wouldn't want to do that in this beautiful City of Stars.

BVHH is hosting a social event next Saturday, September 17th, from 3-5pm at the Senior Sunrise Room for those interested to learn more or get signed up to either be a volunteer or begin receiving help in the areas of transportation, home repairs, technology, gardening, and more! Hope to see you there! Light refreshments will be provided. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to them at Brisbanevillagehelpinghands@gmail.com or call 415-508-2185.

September 11 – 17 is week three of National Preparedness Month. The theme for this week is “Preparing Through Service.” September is recognized as National Preparedness Month (NPM) which serves as a reminder that we all must take action to prepare, now and throughout the year, for the types of emergencies that could affect us where we live, work, and also where we visit.

While Brisbane is miles from the dense traffic challenges of downtown San Francisco, we do experience our own unique traffic issues. At times, residents feel that speeding is an issue on certain streets in town and then ask, “Why can’t I get a speed hump installed on my street?” Speed humps are raised sections of pavement or rubber that are placed mid-block and are designed to slow vehicles on residential streets. According to the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), they typically range from 12 to 14 feet in travel length and are about three inches in height. Speed humps were introduced in the U.K. in the 1980s and were adopted by multiple U.S. municipalities as a popular traffic calming measure.

Unfortunately, speed humps have unintended consequences. They cause an increase in noise from vehicle acceleration, braking, and suspension rattling, affecting those who live near them. Based on general engineering practice, speed humps are not installed on steep streets with grades greater than five percent (5%) because they can gather water, creating unsafe braking conditions. In addition, speed humps are rough on automobile suspensions and drivers’ backsides when they are driven over on a regular basis. Perhaps most seriously, speed humps impact emergency vehicle response. According to the ITE, speed humps can cause up to a ten-second delay for an ambulance with a patient.

Because of the unintended consequences and resulting backlash from the public, some cities have had to recover from installing too many speed humps. For example, the City of Berkeley installed over 150 speed humps in the early 1990s. After their placement, the Berkeley Fire Department claimed that these devices caused damage to fire trucks and led to significantly longer response times. Residents with disabilities stated that the rough motion when driving over speed humps, even at very low speeds, caused serious pain and discomfort. These concerns led the City to impose a moratorium on the installation of speed humps in 1995 while it explored other traffic calming measures.

The traffic calming “toolbox” has grown over the years, and there are other effective alternatives to speed humps that have less physical impact on moving vehicles. Dragon’s teeth, a method widely adopted in the U.K., are teeth-shaped pavement markings that slow drivers through psychological measures. “Botts dots” are small ceramic bumps that are primarily used as lane dividers, but can be arranged into rectangular rumble strips that create a vibrating sensation. Traffic calming measures such as these are being widely implemented in municipalities to address speeding issues.

If you have concerns regarding speeding on your street, please contact Public Works. Staff will observe the location in question, and if necessary, will conduct a more thorough technical investigation, possibly including 24-hour speed surveys, to determine if a hazard that can be corrected through engineering techniques is present.

Please make an effort to slow down and to be mindful of bicyclists and pedestrians. Enjoy the beauty of your home while driving safely!

For any questions or concerns regarding speed humps, please contact Deputy Director of Public Works Karen Kinser at 415.508.2130 or kkinser@ci.brisbane.ca.us.

This is the theme for this year's National Preparedness Month, as disasters don’t always occur when we are together with our family and friends. It’s important to take time now to plan what you will do in an emergency. It only takes a few minutes to talk through the greatest risks that can affect where you live, work or go to school.

This September, make an effort to create & practice your family emergency plan. By having a conversation or making a plan, families can have more confidence and be better prepared when the next event happens. This month, we'll be bringing you tips on how you can #GetReady!